Myths About Antidepressants
This is a belief of many people that antidepressants are pills that are harmful for human health. Such stigma hurts those who need specialist help to treat depression. To change the way we think about drugs for depression, we debunk the top 5 myths.
Myth 1: Antidepressants are addictive
This is one of the most common concerns of patients. According to psychiatrists, antidepressants are not addictive, but must be taken under medical supervision. You cannot decide yourself about the amount you take and about discontinuation because, like any drug, it has an active substance. Self-withdrawal may cause a sudden deterioration of your health.
Myth 2: Antidepressants can be replaced by physical activity
Depression is a severe disease, the patient does not have the strength to get out of bed, get dressed, and go to the store. These daily activities are a quite challenge for him. Of course, you can introduce more activities into your daily life, but that doesn’t mean you can give up on medications without medical consultation. Some studies have found that moderate exercise can help treat depression, just as pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy can, but there is no substitute for them. Nevertheless, if you can motivate yourself to exercise regularly, it will likely improve your mood and overall health. Exercise can be a perfect option for people who are not clinically depressed, but feel a bit depressed.
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Myth 3: Antidepressants change people
Antidepressants are drugs that can harm your body and bad for your health. First of all, bring about the biochemical balance of the brain. Patients after two weeks of regular use of the drug, notice the restoration of their former life functions, they can wake up with increased energy, quickly leave the house, notice the positive elements of life. Their thinking ceases to be only negative, focused on failures and threats. Remember that antidepressants also reduce thoughts of suicide. SSRI’s raise serotonin levels within about an hour of taking them. However, patients must take them daily for an average of 3 to 4 weeks before they begin to feel their beneficial effects – and this applies not only to SSRI’s, but also to other antidepressants that affect serotonin levels.
Myth 4: Antidepressants lower your libido
It’s not drugs and it can lower your libido. Poorly selected drugs can also affect your sex, and you should consult a psychiatrist as soon as possible. Medicines are supposed to improve functioning in relationships, also in the intimate sphere. The key here is to choose the right drugs. Antidepressants – drugs from the group of selective reputable inhibitors, are designed in such a way as to block the serotonin transporter, which is responsible for its uptake. The proper concentration of this neurotransmitter is considered a necessary condition of happiness.
Myth 5: Antidepressants shut you down
People with depression are so depressed that they stop feeling any pleasure and lose interest in most things they used to like. They are often tormented by sleep disturbances (unable to sleep or too long asleep), feelings of worthlessness or irrational guilt, and suicidal thoughts. The hopelessness they experience is debilitating and can even be life-threatening. According to some studies, depression can shorten life in a similar way to smoking. All these facts show depression itself cuts you out of life, not antidepressants. Medications are meant to help bring you back into life. This is possible when pharmacotherapy is combined with therapy.
Without antidepressants, depression would be hard to cure. Unfortunately, many patients, before they show up at a psychiatrist’s or therapist’s office, hear unpleasant comments from their relatives: “When you take psychotropic, I don’t know who you will be.” Sometimes the sick people think by themselves: “I will not take medication because it means that I cannot cope with my own life.” Spreading misconceptions about anxiety disorders for depression causes patients to seek specialist help late, sometimes too late. It’s time to deal with these five myths.
Thanks for reading.
